MVPs of Horror: Corey Feldman on how he used stolen 'Gremlins' fur to ward off bullies

The other kids in Corey Feldman’s junior high school didn’t appreciate that the young working actor got to miss so much class. And they weren’t buying his excuse, either — that he was working with E.T. mastermind Steven Spielberg on one of his next projects, a horror movie about cute furry creatures that transform into killing machines, something called Gremlins.

“Because I was a very kind of meek, kind of sweet kid, I got harassed a lot,” the 46-year-old Reseda, Calif., native (who has been making headlines recently for his outspoken criticism of abuse in Hollywood) told Yahoo Entertainment during a recent Facebook Live interview. “I remember thinking, ‘OK, I need them to respect me on some level. Because they’re like, ‘Why do you get to keep leaving? Why do get another day off? What, are you so special?’”

Feldman attempted to explain his involvement in the Spielberg-produced Gremlins, but, as he explains in the video above, the bullies wanted proof.

So, despite what costar Zack Galligan has described as a highly secure set, with the film’s expensive puppets under lock and key for fear of being stolen, and Feldman himself fearing the wrath of Spielberg, the youngster made his move.

“One day I did steal a little patch of Mogwai hair, and I came to school with it and I said, ‘This is my proof, man! I’m working on this movie!’ And they were like, ‘So you stole some carpet?’”

Since Gremlins was still in production — and an unknown commodity — his schoolmates had no idea what a Mogwai was.

“I’m like, ‘No, you can see it’s brown and white. One day you’re gonna know what this is. It’s Mogwai fur!’”

It took a year, but Feldman proved his point — and of course also went on to become one of the most famous child stars of the ’80s, with roles to come in The Goonies, Stand by Me, and The Lost Boys.

As for Spielberg, well, he might just be finding out about this.

Watch Feldman debunk the myth that he brought Michael Jackson’s pet chimp Bubbles onto the set of The ‘Burbs: